Neve Campbell's Scream co-star Matthew Lillard has defended her decision not to return for Scream 6. Campbell has been the star of the series since the original 1996 film, playing the troubled 'final girl' Sidney Prescott as she and her friends are constantly hunted by a variety of serial killers wearing the Ghostface mask. Although the franchise went dormant in 2011 with Scream 4, Campbell returned for the recent legacy sequel (also titled Scream), which released in January 2022.
Scream 2022 was a substantial hit, raking in $140 million worldwide during a period in which a worldwide COVID-19 variant surge was making a dent in box office profits. Although Campbell had previously stated she would be willing to return as Sidney Prescott should another sequel be green-lit, once Scream 6 went into production it was announced that the actor would not be participating. Campbell stated that her exit from the Scream saga was because the salary offer she received to return "did not equate to the value [she had] brought to the franchise," explaining that moving on from Sidney Prescott was a difficult decision.
During a conversation with Midnite Movie Club on Twitter Spaces, Lillard, who played the wacky Stu Macher in the original Scream, expressed his enthusiastic support for Campbell's decision. Campbell's former co-star praised the actor for being the lead of one of the most successful horror franchises in history, questioning why a woman would be expected to take a low salary offer, especially following an entry that was a "smash hit." To make his point, Lillard compared Campbell to Tom Cruise, saying:
"Think about it. Did Tom Cruise take less money for Maverick 5? F—k no, dude. No. So why is a woman supposed to take less? Why wouldn’t you pay her more as the series goes on? And was Scream 5 a hit or not a hit? It was a smash hit. Did they make a s—t ton of money? Yes. Should Neve Campbell be paid for the work she’s done in five movies of a franchise? Yes. Because she is a female lead of… one of the most successful horror franchises. Infuriating."
For his part, Lillard was also involved in Scream 2022, not returning as his character Stu but instead cameoing as the voice of the chrome-masked Ghostface in the in-universe reboot of Stab. The actor has a relationship with the creators of the Scream franchise, making his support of Campbell particularly noteworthy, showing how far he is willing to go to defend his co-star despite his own connections with the films. Lillard has previously spoken about the bond created between the cast of the original Scream cast during filming, who have now known each other for over 25 years, so it is perhaps unsurprising that he would vocally and emphatically support Campbell.
Lillard is right to emphasize that Campbell has been the lifeblood of the franchise for five films far, and without Sidney Prescott, Scream 6 is certainly going to look very different. While many of the new characters from the 2022 film will be returning, the absence of such an important legacy role may negatively impact the film's box office performance. However, Campbell has been widely commended for her decision, with Lillard now adding his voice to the immense support for the actor amid her exit from the Scream franchise.
Source: Midnite Movie Club/Twitter